Tag: Project MIST

There are times that you remember the past and miss the days gone by. There are times that throw you into the present. There are times that are full of emotion and mourning. There are times that you celebrate what the future has to hold. There are times that you cannot believe the love that surrounds you. There are times that you are thankful for the rain. There are times that you celebrate the sun.

And then there are times that you build a misting machine sculpture of salvaged and recycled materials and shoot LED lights at it that are self-sustaining droplets. And there are times that digging through a long forgotten prop storage leaves you covered in dust, older than you know.

Project MIST has taken many forms in the last couple years, forever evolving and moving toward a bigger whole. Like the waters of Niagara, it ebbs and flows through various incarnations. Currently I am helping LK in the design and creation of a living museum prototype, or as we affectionately call it, the mist lab. It will be a sculpture where we can test the effects of light and video onto mist. Incorporating sustainable power via solar panels and batteries; and building a base out of reclaimed wood, we are fabricating an eco-friendly experimentation and an evocative environment. Power & Poetry, meet No Tether.

I am involved in a joint research venture with several colleagues. This weekend we had a gallery presentation of some of our individual work. My contribution was a light and materials site-specific sculpture that was built and displayed in the front gallery window. The projection behind the sculpture was designed by Chantal Calato. The entire gallery exhibit had a sense of duality and melding of imagery between individual pieces. It was serendipitous that our pieces collided. My artistic statement is below:

Niagara Falls have long been a source of inspiration. They are an impressive power and have been a source of power. The amount of water that tumbles over the precipice is staggering. The thickness and texture of the water at this point are qualities that are continually intriguing.

At the base of the Horseshoe Falls stands the Ontario Power Plant building, once the harnesser of hydroelectric power for the region. Now inoperable and abandoned, it is a hulking reminder of time forgotten.

Through site observation and history past, “Power & Poetry” seeks to capture these inspirations.